I have mentioned it in previous classrooms, and to several of my peers, I have a genuine dislike for online classes. Cameras turned off, Professor speaking to a plethora of black screens with names on them, two word chats being sent ” I agree”, mics muted. it all seems like a giant waste of my time, money and resources. That being said, if I were to join the field of higher education its is a hurdle that cannot be avoided. Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, online course are solidified and here to stay.
This fact is why I thoroughly enjoyed Jesse Stommel article How to Build an Ethical Online Course. If these course cannot be avoided, I might as well prepare myself to take them or potentially teach them.
Courses should be designed by individuals or small groups of collaborators not by committees. We should also not use systems that etch curricula into stone. This means supporting (financially and culturally) course development and frequent course redevelopment…. Where possible, students should guide the curriculum and create course content. This means using or enabling tools that give students at least some measure of control over design.
Jesse Stommel- How to Build an Ethical Online Course
This paragraph reminded me of the first few days of Writing Pedagogies. A class I wasn’t sure I wanted to take (but in needed the credits). We started with sitting in a circle where it felt that everyone could pitch in, and then we started cooperatively making changes to the syllabus. agreeing and disagreeing on the weight of participation and works. This INPERSON dialogue is what made me want to stay in this class even though I’m not that interested in pedagogy (I might be going through a paradigm shift we’ll see at the end of the semester).
This relates wonderfully to a line from Sean Michael Morris article Technology is not Pedagogy. (I was excited that there was an audio version of this article. Listening and reading along really helps me intake and digest the information) “Actually good online education comes not from the purchase of another platform, but out of dialogue”. This is exactly why I don’t meld with online classes. A percentage of student already don’t want to engage in class let alone in a setting where they can turn off their cameras and mics and walk away.
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